#amanda lucidon

[accras]

A collection of White House pictures of Michelle Obama is coming out Oct. 17. “Chasing Light” will feature 150 color shots and personal commentary by White House photographer Amanda Lucidon.

[artcentron]

Michelle Obama: Love and Joy of Service in Chasing Light

Michelle Obama: Love and Joy of Service in Chasing Light

President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama snuggle in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in an open display of affection.Photo:  Amanda Lucidon

Stunning photographs of Michelle Obama and family by former White House photographer Amanda Lucidon on display at the Enoch Pratt Library in celebration of Black History Month.

BY KAZAD

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND— A selection of photographs…

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[jackiekennedystyle]

Look what my school has!!

[girlonfilms]

Book of Michelle Obama photos gets UK release

Book of Michelle Obama photos gets UK release

A new book of photographs of Michelle Obama by former White House photographer Amanda Lucidon will be released this autumn. (more…)

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[beckyharlan]

Photographing FLOTUS: Michelle Obama's primary photographer, Amanda Lucidon, shares the stories behind her 10 favorite photos as her time photographing...

I had the great honor of interviewing FLOTUS’s primary photographer, Amanda Lucidon, for NPR Live last week. She mirrored so many of the qualities I see exhibited in the first family—diligence, humility, conscientiousness, grace, and a sense of humor. 

[chloecoleman-blog]

Our appointments today covered a diverse range of photojournalism professionals. After spending the morning with Jenn Poggi, White House Chief Photo Editor, we met with Megan Rossman at Teach for America. Megan is the director of multimedia and online learning at Teach for America, a non-government agency. Megan discussed the nature of her position, her workflow, and provided a fresh angle on the business from the point of view of an NGO. She encouraged us to be able to organize the message of any story we may do into one sentence, find moments in not just still images but video and audio as well, and to give every visual in our multimedia pieces a purpose other than wallpaper.

From Teach for America we headed to Reuters news agency. Mitch Koppelman, Vice President of Broadcast Services, and Jim Bourg, News Picture Editor, shed light on the daily life at Reuters. Mitch impressed upon us the importance Reuters places on unbiased coverage. Jim explained their software and workflow from photographer to editor. They both also discussed a recent ethical issue involving the misuse of one of their photographs and how their contract protected them.

The day concluded with a lively evening in the company of four talented freelancers,  Mary Calvert, Louie Palu, Amanda Lucidon, and Lucien Perkins. Mary, formally a staff photographer at the Washington Times, shared the difficulties of becoming a freelancer; "I didn't own any of my pictures," she said of her work she made for the newspaper. She also discussed workflow and the importance of having a shot list when going to shoot a story, such as the who, what, when, where, why, and how. She encouraged us to do ample research and that "you have to tell the story through the people, not the stuff." For story ideas, Mary advised the pages of newspapers and to find things that interest you.

Louie Palu started his presentation with the "whole idea of being a freelancer is your archive." Unlike working for a publication, a freelancer owns their images. Louie has shot a large body of work on the war in Afghanistan and had much advice for aspiring combat photographers; "Is war about the bullets coming out of a gun? No. It's much more." This statement can apply to almost any story I may shoot, not just war. The story isn't just the action. Louie also presented ideas about social strategies for being successful in this business, which included being a positive person and, "don't hang out with people who complain, it's a wall that won't get you anywhere." He emphasized the importance of editing and the ability to be ruthless with your own images, being able to pitch yourself and your work, and thinking about different platforms. If you want to hang photographs on a wall you better know how to print.

Amanda Lucidon has a passion for multimedia, which was evident through her "Legal Strangers" project. She truly seemed like a woman who knew what she wanted to do and made it happen, much like the other speakers of the evening. Amanda finds ways to make her work multi-platform; she re-packages work to fit the needs of different publications, which is incredibly smart. "The only way I learn is by failing," she told us, and to take risks rather than waiting for the phone to ring. Publications, such as AARP and CNN, found Amanda through her self-initiated work.

Lucien Perkins, a member of Facing Change, stated we are in the "best of times and worst of times" for photojournalism. The new technologies are making so many new ways of telling stories possible, but at the same time it makes it hard to survive. He shared several previews of projects he's working on, which explored a wide range from historical work, to social issues, to more lighthearted personal stories. His work on the D.C. punk scene caused him to caution, "keep everything you shoot, it may become significant later...you don't want to wonder why you didn't shoot more."

I went away from the evening very inspired by these four people. Though they all make different work, I noted their positive outlook; if you want it bad enough, if you work hard enough, you can do it. Louie mentioned that if you want to get better, find someone better than you, acknowledge it, and spend time with them learning from them. I acknowledge I met four people this evening who are much, much better than myself. Time to keep up on the networking.